In this week’s segment of Eco Talk RJ Nikhita chats up with the sustainability champion Dhawal Mane, the organizer of Bangalore’s largest Clothes Swap event.

Source: Facebook Events Clothes Swap BLR with GFX and FashRev

The event was held in collaboration with Global Fashion Exchange ( GFX), an international platform promoting sustainability in the fashion industry and Fashion Revolution, is a global movement that celebrates fashion as a positive influence and encourages those who are on a journey to create a more ethical and sustainable future for fashion, at Lahe Lahe received an overwhelming response.

Explaining the concept of a clothes swap, Mane uncovers some fascinating aspects of this concept that is slowly being introduced in India.

A clothes swap is an event wherein all attendees bring in clothes and exchange them with other people so as to obtain clothing that is no longer of use to one person, but valued and useful for the other. Although swapping already happens in India, it is much more common to swap with close friends and family. Swapping with strangers is a western concept that is slowly gaining recognition in India.

“With such events”, Mane adds, “We are extending the reach of a person interested in swapping to multiple wardrobes, which wouldn’t have been the case if swapping were limited among friends and family.”

Photo Credit: Dhawal Mane

Organizing the event was not without challenges. In India, a clothes swap is relatively unheard of and is often dismissed, because the notion of wearing used clothing is often stigmatized. Many people fail to think of sustainability in terms of the clothing they use and discard. However the clothes swap organized by Mane managed to attract big numbers, all of whom were willing to experiment and implement sustainability in this aspect of their lives. Besides being supported by the public, this event was also supported by Bollywood actress, Evelyn Sharma who donated 50 items of her clothing to be exchanged in this event.